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Here’s how to see the creepy stuff Twitter ‘knows’ about you

From this week, Twitter users have been greeted with a message inviting them to share personal data with advertise – to ‘personalise’ their experience.

It’s something most internet users are familiar with from Facebook – and just like on Facebook, there’s a way to see the data Twitter is so keen to sell.

Twitter users can now review the slightly creepy data Twitter has amassed on them – which includes your interests, how old Twitter thinks you are, and what car Twitter’s advertisers think you drive.

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Scarily, Twitter’s advertisers even guess how many children you have (accurately, in the case of this reporter).

To access it, go to Twitter on a desktop, then click your profile, then Settings and Privacy, then Your Twitter data.

If you haven’t told Twitter your age or gender, Twitter guesses for you: the company says, ‘”If you haven’t added a gender, this is the one most strongly associated with your account based on your profile and activity. This information won’t be displayed publicly.’

At present, it seems to be hit-and-miss – with ages often vague (13-54), and some misfires on interests – with many users reporting that they are ‘interested’ in celebrity gossip.

Perhaps the creepiest part is the interests generated by Twitter advertisers – which include estimates of what car you drive, how many children you have, and other information used to sell you products.

Thankfully, you can switch it all off. Just go to your profile, then Privacy and Settings, then ‘Edit’ Personalisation and Data – from here, you can turn it off.